Telemedicine helps doctors beam into rural hospitals, treat newborns

A premature baby born at high altitude faces challenges uncommon among newborns in Denver that often can't be treated by rural physicians. But expanded technology is helping beam the expertise of neonatal specialists in the city into critical-care situations at 33 remote hospitals in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. Rural physicians have been called the heroes of medicine — they're jacks of all trades, sometimes work at high altitudes and are constantly under pressure. Still, there are times they can only do so much.